I don’t celebrate Thanksgiving. Instead, I use that time to reflect on the hundreds of years of Indigenous pain and strife and spend that time celebrating our strength and resistance as the true people of this land. That being said, as I was in Norman housesitting for a friend last week, I was invited to my brother’s house down the street for a wonderful meal catered by Sprouts, one of my favorite places for overpriced food.
I was expected to bring one thing, however: dessert. Instead of buying a pie someplace, as I’m sure I was expected to, I figured that, for the first time ever, I would attempt to make my first after-dinner delight from the Pioneer Woman Cooks cookbook that I’ve been tearing through this past couple of years, aiming for Patsy’s Blackberry Cobbler.
And while some people didn’t like it—as was completely expected—I personally was thoroughly surprised by it. Could I, through Ree Drummond’s teachings, be becoming a better cook?
I purchased the various ingredients the previous day but, sadly, I bought the last two containers of black berries so I got an additional one of raspberries, as well as one of those large baking dishes because, obviously, I’ve never taken the time to personally own one as I’ve always had the wherewithal to purchase all my cobblers in the past.
Regardless, after combining the ungodly amounts of sugar, butter and all those berries, once the gooey batter was ready to go, I filled the dish with it and was ready to bake for about an hour or so. I actually forgot to set the oven timer, so I had to mentally figure out the cooking time, subtract what I figured was left and add a few minutes, just in case.
Once heartily baked to the very best of my ability, I pulled it out of the oven and let it cool overnight, so very eager to try this blackberry cobbler that, as I learned in her recipe, even Drummond says that she doubts it would win any ribbons in a cook-off…now she tells me!
After enjoying the turkey cutlets, grand stuffing and so on, Patsy’s Blackberry Cobbler was unleased upon my brother’s family. And while they said it was “pretty good,” “alright,” and “a nice try,” I thought that it was absolutely delicious, probably even better than the steaks I made last go round. With a crust that was heavy and moist—much like me—the overload of berries was a taste-driven surprise that has given me a new lease on life.
Even though it was probably her recipe—or Patsy’s, I guess—I really feel that in an attempt to be the sweetest hero that holiday cooking has ever met, I made one of my best Pioneer Woman recipes yet, so much so that, if I ever write my own cookbook, I might steal it from her and slap my name on it. Given her reputation, I think she’ll be okay with it.
But, in any case, I’m going to score it as Pioneer Woman 5.5, Louis Fowler 1.5. I think that’s fair.
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Follow Louis on Twitter at @LouisFowler and Instagram at @louisfowler78.
